ATE refers to an automated, usually computer-driven, system for testing devices, such as semiconductors, electronic circuits, and printed circuit board assemblies. A device tested by ATE is referred to as a device under test (DUT).
ATE typically includes a computer system and a testing device or a single device having corresponding functionality. ATE is capable of providing signals to a DUT via its source channel. A capture channel receives signals from the DUT and forwards those signals for processing to determine whether the DUT meets testing qualifications.
Functionality testing is one step in the manufacturing process of integrated circuits (ICs). ATE should test the devices as quickly (to reduce cost of the testing) and accurately (to allow grading the devices according to performance) as possible.
One characteristics of a DUT is its Bit Error Rate (BER). A DUT's BER may be defined as ratio of number of bits incorrectly received to the total number of bits sent during a specified time interval. With modern applications requiring BER (Bit Error Rate) to be about 10−12 or less, it is impractical to measure BER directly. For example, at a 3.125 gigabit-per-second (GB/s) data rate, about one faulty bit occurs per 5.4 minutes, on average.
Jitter is known to be a main contributor to BER and is an indirect indicator of BER. Therefore, jitter is often measured in order to determine the quality of a DUT's communication. Although jitter can be measured via a variety of methods, traditionally, a limited number of measurement techniques have been implemented in ATE.